Manchester

Manchester's population expanded between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in health, housing tenure and religion.

The population passed half a million

Between the last two censuses, the population of Manchester increased by 28%, from almost 393,000 to 503,000.

The addition of just over 110,000 people means this area's population was the fastest-growing in the North West and was the second fastest-growing across England.

In 2011, Manchester was home to, on average, 31 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it the North West's most densely-populated district.

Population density was higher than the average across the North West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the North West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Manchester

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Manchester decreased by two years, from 31 to 29 years.

This area had the lowest average age in the North West and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 45,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population over the age of 80 years decreased by just over 2,000.

About 25% of people in Manchester are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Manchester by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

Manchester saw England's second-largest fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

Every local authority area across the North West saw a fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad, as the regional average fell from 11% to 6.8%.

In 2011, just under 1 in 14 (7.1%) in Manchester said their health was bad or very bad, compared with 13% in 2001. The percentage that perceived their health as good or very good increased from 65% to 80%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad occurred in Barnsley (from 14% to 8.4%).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Manchester decreased by 5.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Manchester, the North West and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

Manchester saw England's third-largest rise in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week.

Every local authority area across the North West saw a rise in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week, as the regional average grew from 1.7% to 3.0%.

In 2011, just over 1 in 25 (4.5%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Manchester said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 2.5% in 2001. The percentage that worked over 49 hours in a week decreased from 9.0% to 6.5%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week occurred in Newham (from 2.3% to 5.9%) followed by Newcastle upon Tyne (from 2.1% to 4.3%).

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Manchester increased by 2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Manchester, the North West and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing relationships in Manchester

Manchester saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

In 2011, just over 1 in 10 (10%) people aged 16 and over in Manchester said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner, compared with 12% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 32% to 30%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner occurred in Islington (from 12% to 11%) followed by City of London (from 12% to 10%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to City of London should be made with caution.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was lower than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Manchester that rented privately increased from 16% to 28% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over 3 in 10 (32%) households lived in social housing, compared with 39% in 2001. The percentage of Manchester households that owned their home decreased from 42% to 38%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased faster here than in any other local authority district across the North West. As a result, this area had the region’s highest proportion of privately rented homes.

Blackpool had the North West's second highest proportion of privately rented homes (26%), while Liverpool had the region's third highest proportion (23%).

Private renting in Manchester increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of households in Manchester, the North West and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Manchester

The percentage of Manchester residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.6% to 3.9% between the last two censuses.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 5.2%, while the percentage of Manchester residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 91% to 92%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased faster here than anywhere else in the North West. The improvement brought health in Manchester close to the regional average 4.4% in the North West described their health as good in 2011).

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

More students

Manchester saw the North West's largest rise in the proportion of students.

In 2011, just over 1 in 14 (7.1%) people aged 16 to 74 in Manchester said they were in education, compared with 4.4% in 2001. The percentage that were employed increased from 42% to 45%.

Across the region, Liverpool saw the next largest increase in the proportion of students (from 3.4% in 2001 to 5.6% in 2011).

Every local authority area across the North West saw a rise in the proportion of students, as the regional average grew from 2.5% to 3.5%.

The percentage of students in Manchester increased by 2.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Manchester, the North West and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Manchester with children remained close to 28% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage that had no children remained close to 64%, while the percentage of households in Manchester with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 8.2% to 7.9%.

The proportion of households with children increased at a slower rate here than the figure for the whole of the North West (from 30% in 2001 to 29% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 30% to 29%.

The proportion of households with children was lower than across the North West

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Manchester residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 2.3% to 2.4% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, 1.5% of reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 1.3% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 2.4% in 2001 to 2.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Manchester remained close to 2.4%

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Manchester by care, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

Manchester saw the North West's third-largest rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11%) households in Manchester had an unmarried couple, compared with 8.2% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising just one person decreased from 39% to 35%.

Across the region, only Salford (from 8.5% to 11%) and South Ribble (from 7.6% to 10%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

Every local authority area across the North West saw a rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple, as the regional average grew from 7.9% to 9.8%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Manchester increased by 2.7 percentage points

Percentage of households in Manchester, the North West and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Manchester

Census 2011 asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, 25% said they had no religion. The figure increased from 25% in 2001

The number of people in Manchester that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 63,000 in 2001 to about 130,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 16% to 25% of those who chose to disclose information about their religious affiliation.

The percentage increased at a similar rate to the average across the North West (from 10% to 20%), but at a slower rate than the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Manchester that described themselves as Christian remained close to 250,000 between the last two censuses (from 62% to 49% of the population). The number of people who described themselves as Muslim increased from just under 36,000 to about 79,000 (from 9.1% to 16%).

About 35,000 people (9.7%) did not state their religion, down from just over 38,000 in 2001 (6.9%).

The population without a religion in Manchester increased by 9.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Manchester by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Manchester

Census 2011 asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, 67% said they were from the White ethnic groups. The figure increased from 67% in 2001

The number of people in Manchester from the White ethnic groups increased from just under 320,000 in 2001 to about 340,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the local population, this represented a decrease from 81% to 67%.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across the North West (from 94% to 90%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Manchester from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just over 41,000 in 2001 to just under 86,000 in 2011 (from 10% to 17%). The number of residents from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from just under 18,000 to just over 43,000 (from 4.5% to 8.6%).

Just over 23,000 people (3.2%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from about 13,000 in 2001 (4.6%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Manchester decreased by 14 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Manchester by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

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